In the fields of wireless communication and power management, various components can be implemented using solid-state devices including transistors. For example, in radio frequency (RF) communication, the RF front end is a generic term for the circuitry between an antenna and a digital baseband system. The RF front end may include multiple components, such as power amplifiers and low-noise amplifiers. A power amplifier, in the context of RF design, is a type of electronic amplifier that can convert a relatively low-power radio frequency signal into a signal of significant power. Such power amplifier devices may include bipolar junction transistors or metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), for example. A low-noise amplifier is an electronic amplifier that can amplify a relatively low power signal without significantly degrading the signal-to-noise ratio of the low power signal. Such low-noise amplifier devices may include junction FETs (JFETs) and high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), for example. Transistors may also be used in voltage regulators and RF switches included in RF communication and power management applications.
These and other features of the present embodiments will be understood better by reading the following detailed description, taken together with the figures herein described. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. Furthermore, as will be appreciated, the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale or intended to limit the described embodiments to the specific configurations shown. For instance, while some figures generally indicate straight lines, right angles, and smooth surfaces, an actual implementation of the disclosed techniques may have less than perfect straight lines and right angles, and some features may have surface topography or otherwise be non-smooth, given real-world limitations of fabrication processes. In short, the figures are provided merely to show example structures.